Author: Virginia

Five Words that Changed the World

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Mary Magdalene came at daybreak to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body with funeral spices. She had witnessed it all: Christ’s brutal crucifixion, His last breaths, and His last words, “It is finished.” She had watched as Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus gently removed His body from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.

It had all happened on what we now call Good Friday. The Jewish Sabbath began at sunset on Friday and lasted until an hour after sunset on Saturday. During that time, no work could be done. According to Jewish law, the penalty for breaking the Sabbath Commandment was death. And so Mary Magdalene waited. Those hours must have been a cruel time for her, filled with tormenting memories of the horrors she had witnessed during Christ’s crucifixion.

First thing Sunday morning, she made her way to the tomb where the body of Jesus lay. Roman soldiers had sealed the tomb and guarded the entrance. Mary worried if she would be able to convince them to roll the stone away for her so that she could administer the spices. To her shock, she not only found the stone rolled away, but the guards gone, and the tomb empty. She began weeping, fearing someone had stolen Christ’s body. She turned to find Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize Him.

And isn’t that the case when we are distraught, or stressed, or overwhelmed by life? We can’t see Jesus. We don’t recognize Him, even when He is standing in front of us.

When Jesus said Mary’s name, however, she immediately recognized Him and fell to her knees. Everything at once fell into place. Jesus had told her that after his death he would rise in three days. Without a doubt, He was the Son of God. He had risen, Indeed!

Jesus told Mary to go to His disciples and tell them what she had witnessed. And so it was that Jesus, the Risen Christ, commissioned a woman to announce His resurrection to the fearful and distraught disciples who were hiding behind locked doors in an upper chamber.

Mary Magdalene must have run from the garden to tell the others about her encounter with Jesus. Can’t you envision her long black hair, shimmering in the morning sunlight, flowing behind her in the wind? Perhaps she tripped a time or two, catching herself, palm against cobblestone, to stay upright. She probably raised the hem of her skirt to keep from stumbling on it as she raced up the stairs to the upper chamber where the disciples were hiding. Banging on the door, she must have announced herself, knowing they wouldn’t open the door for just anyone. Gasping for breath, her heart pounding, radiant with joy, she announced to all, “I have seen the Lord!”

I have seen the Lord. Those five words changed the course of history. The resurrection of Jesus confirmed He was the Messiah, the Christ, the only Son of God. Before He ascended into Heaven, He appeared to over 500 people. Both secular and Jewish historians of the time confirm that Jesus was crucified and buried, had risen from the grave, and appeared to many after His resurrection. (Examples include Roman historian Tacitus, Jewish sources including Josephus and the Talmud, and other ancient writers including Thallus, Lucian, Phlegon, and Mara Bar-Serapion.)

This Easter morning, I pray that you, like Mary Magdalene, will recognize the Risen Christ as your Savior. God promises us that the resurrection of Jesus means salvation and eternal life for all who believe. (John 3:16 and Romans 10:9)

***

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.

“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

“Mary!” Jesus said.

She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

John 20:11-18

The Unopened Christmas Present

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This afternoon our Christmas plans fell apart. Rather than being six for dinner tomorrow, it will just be the two of us. I know that we’re not the only ones. People across the country–and probably across the globe–are facing similar issues, whether it is because of flight cancellations, virus concerns, or lockdowns.

As a result of our change in plans, we will have an unopened Christmas present under our tree. It has me wondering how many others will have similar unopened gifts. Will we mail it next week, keep it until the next time we see the recipient, or simply save it until next year?

For many of us, Jesus is the unopened gift under our Christmas tree. We have delayed opening His gift for many reasons. Perhaps we have decided to wait until another day, or we’re too busy to think about Him now, or we have completely forgotten about Him.

This gift from Jesus, however, is the most amazing gift we can ever imagine. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we become children of God (Ephesians 1:4), we have a home in heaven (John 14:2-3), our sins are forgiven (Matthew 26:28), we are reconciled with God (Romans 5:10-11), and we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside us (2 Corinthians 5:5). All of these gifts (and many more) are ours, if we only unwrap His gift and accept it as our own.

I hope this will be the Christmas that you open the wonderful gift Jesus offers to each of us. I promise that it is the best gift you will ever receive. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

Watch the “That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown” excerpt from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz

Why Forgive?

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Forgiveness is a cornerstone of the Christian faith, but it is often difficult for us to embrace. A retired pastor at our church offered this prayer about forgiveness a few Sundays ago. It was so compelling that I wanted to share it with each of you. Thank you, Pastor Greg for allowing me to reprint it.

Dear God, Help us to realize that forgiveness is necessary in order for us to have personal peace and happiness. Help us to love ourselves enough not to hold grudges. Show us how to be understanding when others refuse to forgive out of their sense of deep pain or from anger, jealousy, or resentment, or because of a desire for revenge, or because they think it’s socially unacceptable to do so, or due to pride, or because it is just easier to cut someone out of one’s life.

Remind us of the consequences of our refusal to forgive: We become led by our anger, pain, or hatred. We are directed by negative memories. We do not act freely. We are pressured by lives of tension and stress. We shorten our lives. Our relationships with others becomes strained. We feel unrelieved guilt. We live with a poor sense of self-worth. And our relationship with You, O God, is weakened.

Help us to see that forgiving is an empowered form of giving wherein we are called to remain open and giving even in the midst of our hurt, pain, anger, and frustration.

Help us to be other-centered by looking at the one in need of forgiveness instead of at our wounds.

Teach us that forgiveness is an invitation to someone to recognize himself or herself as a person of great worth and value, and, thus, as someone worth redeeming. Show us the importance of showing those who have hurt us that they are more than the painful thing they did.

Remind us, Father, that as deep as our pain may be when we have been wronged, that there is a strength and comfort that goes beneath the pain.

Enable us to have the attitude of Jesus in forgiveness, Father. As He forgave because He was truly free, so may we. As He was unconcerned with losing face or with being hurt again or with putting others on probation for hurting Him the first time, may our forgiveness also be an unconditional display of love and acceptance offered with no strings attached.

We pray this in the name of Jesus, who not only taught us about forgiveness but who actively showed us how to practice it. Amen

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,

“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?

Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

(Matthew 18:21-22)

I’m thinking of Heaven… Are you?

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Is it just me, or does it seem that the world has turned upside-down? Change is happening at warp speed. Things I thought would always be true seem to be disappearing at an alarming rate. In just the past eighteen months, a pandemic caused most of the world to go into lockdown. There are an increasing number of wars and rumors of war, from cultural wars to religious wars to turf wars. The year 2021 is on track to rank as the most record-shattering year for earthquakes and volcanoes. The whole world is, in fact, groaning. It feels like the beginning monologue from the Lord of the Rings trilogy: “The world is changed. I can feel it in the water, I can feel it in the earth, I can smell it in the air.”

It may sound crazy to you, but rather than being overwhelmed, I’m overflowing with optimism. Why? Because I know God is in control. He is at work in our world and plans on doing something amazing. How do I know? Quite simply, the Bible tells me so.

These occurrences that are happening in the world have all been foretold in the Bible. Many students of eschatology (Bible theology of final things) have determined that all the occurrences necessary to herald the beginning of the end time have already occurred. We are waiting on God to make the next move and in His time (Mark 13:32).

Did you know that nearly thirty percent of the Bible is prophetic? Unfortunately, few talk about it. The way I figure it, however, if it is important enough for God to include it in His Word, then, perhaps, it should be important to us as well.

The Bible tells us that at the end of days, there will be a seven-year tribulation period. It will be a horrific time full of danger, bloodshed, plagues, cruelty, and death. But we who believe in the Name of Jesus have an escape plan. It is called the RAPTURE. Before the time of tribulation begins, we who believe in Jesus will be “caught up” (the Latin word is rapturo) in the air.

This is not the second coming of Jesus. Instead, Jesus will appear in the heavens “with a loud command, a shout from the archangel, and the trumpet call of God.” At that moment, every believer in Christ and every child too young to make his or her own choice will be raptured into heaven to live with Jesus forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is why I’m thinking about Heaven so much these days. I am awaiting His trumpet call. “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His Word I do hope” (Psalm 130:5).

How do we make sure we are part of the Rapture? The Bible tells us, If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that He is the Son of God and was crucified and resurrected from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). For more information, I invite you to visit https://www.gotquestions.org/eternal-life.html.

Tragically, those who do not put their trust in Jesus will be left behind. After Rapture, the earth and all its remaining inhabitants will enter the horrible time the Bible calls the tribulation period. Knowing that we are near these horrific end times, I feel a great sense of urgency to help you understand what’s at stake right now. At the bottom of this post, I have embedded two videos. They explain more completely the times we are in and the dangers we are facing if we do not trust in Jesus. I pray that you will watch these videos. Most importantly, I pray that you will accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Your eternal destination depends on it.

God bless you, my friends. If you have any questions, please contact me. Until then, I’ll be thinking of Heaven and awaiting that trumpet call. Are you?

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lordforever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Short video about Rapture by Robert Daniel McCoy

Information about Rapture Timing

What Will Happen To You?

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I met Rick only once. He attended my niece’s wedding with his brother John, a family friend. Rick arrived in a wheelchair. He had become a paraplegic after an accident in his late teens. He went on to graduate from college and became a professional. He was in his fifties when I met him.

Fast forward to a decade later. We learned that Rick had contracted a terminal illness. John was his only surviving family member and also Rick’s caretaker. John told us that Rick had requested that he be kept alive as long as possible or until his money ran out. Although Rick was wracked with pain, he continued to fight death. John did what he could to fulfill Rick’s wishes. We later learned that Rick was an atheist who believed there was no afterlife. I admit that Rick’s manner of death was shocking to me.

Not long afterwards, my husband David looked in the mirror one morning and heard a distinct Voice ask him, “What’s going to happen to you when you die?’ It was a life-changing moment and set David on a quest of amazing significance. Although he had been raised in a Lutheran home, he had left the church after disappointment with its members and religious dogma. During those thirty years, he had journeyed through studies in Buddhism, Hinduism, and even dabbled in some New Age philosophies. None felt right to him. After hearing the Voice, David decided to investigate Jesus again. In the process, he realized that he needed to separate Jesus from religion. He also found a Christian mentor who helped him answer many of his questions.

Today David is confident in his faith in Jesus. He no longer fears death because Jesus offers eternal life to those who believe in Him. It is His promise. Jesus said, “For God so loved the word that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

This post is a tale of two men with vastly different views on the end of life. Do you have confidence knowing what will happen to you after you die?

I pray that you, too, will investigate Jesus throughly. If you would like more information about death and eternal life, please feel free to contact me. To get you started, here’s a short video to watch: If You Die Today

I look forward to hearing from you. Until then, may God richly bless you.

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Bible Accuracy and Jesus as Messiah

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I learned something fascinating this week. The Bible actually foretold the date when the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, would arrive in Jerusalem. The verses can be found in the Book of Daniel 9:24-27.

Biblical scholars used Daniel’s “70-week Prophecy” and the 360-day Jewish calendar to determine that Jesus would arrive 483 years after the rebuilding of Jerusalem which began in 445 BC. The calculation is 49 years (seven weeks) + 434 years (62 weeks) = 483 years, resulting in Jesus arriving the year 32 or 33 AD. Daniel prophesied that at that time, Jesus would make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Daniel’s prophecy then says that the Messiah will be executed for others. (The last seven weeks of the prophecy has not yet come to pass and includes the seven years of the Tribulation period.)

What makes this prophecy so amazing is that the book of Daniel as was written between 604 B.C. and 532 B.C, over 500 years before the birth of Jesus. The Bible’s Old Testament contains many other prophecies about the coming Messiah. Jesus fulfilled them all. Some Bible scholars suggest there are more than 300 prophetic Scriptures about Jesus, including His birthplace, that a massacre of children would occur when He was born, that He would be called a Nazarene, His lineage, that He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey, and the method of His execution. In his book Science Speaks, Peter Stoner states that the probability of one man fulfilling just eight prophecies was 1 in 1017, or the equivalent of 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.

As you look to the Cross this Good Friday and to Resurrection Sunday, I invite you to investigate the Bible, its accuracy, and know that Jesus is the true Messiah. Happy Easter, everyone. Christ has risen… He has risen, indeed!

25 “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.

26 “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.


27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.” (Daniel (9:24-27)

Wise Men Still Seek Him

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Christmas Star, December 22, 2020

Astronomers told us the Christmas Star would appear this week, beginning on the winter solstice. It was a rare event, something that had not occurred in the heavens for over 400 years. The planets Jupiter and Saturn were to converge so closely that they appeared as one great star, reminiscent of the great star that the Three Wisemen, the Magi, followed to Bethlehem. The Bible tells us that the star came to rest over the place where the Christ child lay. Was this phenomenon fact or fiction?

Amazingly, astronomers have been able to chart the skies back to the time of the birth of Jesus. They have discovered that, indeed, a similar conjunction occurred in the year 3 B.C. Jupiter and Regulus, the star of kingship and the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, converged. Leo was considered the constellation of kings and associated with the Lion of Judah, a name often given to Christ. No wonder the Magi were excited.

But can a star actually stand still? We all know that stars move eastward night after night, so this portion of the Bible story seems implausible. If we dig deeper into the science of stars, however, we find that planets have a stationary point or retrograde loop. As a planet approaches the opposite point in the sky from the sun, it appears to slow, come to a full stop, and move backward (westward) through the sky for some weeks. (For more information on this phenomenon and the Star of Bethlehem, see https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/the-star-of-bethlehem/) Is it any wonder that the Magi “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” when they saw this amazing star? (Matthew 2:10)

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus today, let us remember that this week we had proof once again that the “heavens declare His Glory.” (Psalm 19:1) Over two thousand years ago, the heavens foretold of the birth of the King of Kings, the Messiah, Emmanuel, Jesus Christ… our Lord and Saviour. Wise men still seek Him. I pray that you find Him this Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas, Friends!

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [a]wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. (Matthew 2:1-12)

Why Government Is NOT the Answer

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Reprinted from GotQuestions blog by S. Michael Houdmann https://www.gotquestions.blog/government-is-not-the-answer.html

John Adams, the second President of the United States, said, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Did you catch that? “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” That is the reason the United States and many other countries in the world are in such terrible shape. Our world is becoming increasingly godless. While the vast majority of people in the world believe in the existence of God, an increasing majority live their lives as if God does not exist.

While the same principles apply to other nations, for the rest of this article, we will be discussing the United States specifically.

I have no desire to ever run for political office. There are many ancillary reasons, but at the core I firmly believe that government is not the answer. There is no perfect government because every government is filled with imperfect people. And while I believe the United States has (or had) the best government in the history of the world, it is failing due to precisely what John Adams declared. Our government is wholly inadequate to govern immoral, ungodly, and selfish people.

None of the political parties seem to understand this. None of them embrace the Christian worldview on just how wretchedly sinful humanity is without Christ (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-23). Is there a more apt description of modern society than Genesis 6:5? “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”

The Democratic solution is to add new regulations. The Republican solution is to tweak the existing regulations. The Libertarian solution is to get rid of virtually all regulations. None of those methodologies are truly solutions to anything. The problem is sin. It does not matter how many laws we create. Evil and greedy people will find ways around the laws or find lawyers to rescue them after they break the laws. Creating laws, tweaking laws, or removing laws will never solve the problem of sin. We are all infected with sin and inherently greedy (Matthew 6:19-24; Luke 12:15; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 6:9-10; Hebrews 13:5). Government cannot cure it. Only Jesus Christ can deliver us from it.

I do not need a government to tell me that murder is wrong, that stealing is wrong, or that lying is wrong. I know these things are wrong because God has written His Law on my heart and from His Word. Sure, governmental punishment can be a deterrent, but ultimately I strive to avoid sin because I love God and want to live my life in a way that is pleasing to Him. That is the only biblically-valid deterrent to sin—not fines or prison sentences, but a desire to please God. That is what our society is lacking. And that explains why our country is floundering.

I am not saying that all of the early Americans or even all of the founding fathers were Christians. But at least they had a biblically-informed view of the world and a Christian sense of morality. The Constitution is arguably the best piece of governmental legislation in the history of the world. But it is inadequate in a country that is increasingly filled with people who desire only evil all the time.

True change is only possible through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). The only reform that will truly impact our society is the reformation of people becoming new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) and having our minds transformed (Romans 12:1-2).

Governing a godless, selfish, and greedy people is like trying to restrain the wind or grasp oil in your hand (Proverbs 27:16). Or, as John Adams so aptly put it, it is like trying to restrain a whale with a net. Due to 200+ years of US history, the nets have become significantly more complex since John Adams’ day, but due to the ever-increasing wickedness (Romans 6:19) of our society, the whale has become exponentially larger and more dangerous. Without repentance from sin and faith in Christ, it is looking increasingly like the only solution is a harpoon.

S. Michael Houdmann

Why Worry?

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There seems to be so much turmoil in the world right now.  The Covid-19 pandemic has caused horrible death tolls worldwide.  Efforts to curb the virus’ spread with quarantines and social distancing have cost many their livelihoods and any sense of normalcy.  Political wrangling seems to be getting worse and worse.  I could go on.  Why shouldn’t we worry?

Jesus asked the same question:  Why worry?  Will it add even an hour to our lives (Matthew 6:7)?  English filmmaker and founder of the Religious Film Society, J. Arthur Rank, took these words of Jesus to heart.  He determined to limit his worrying to Wednesdays and built a “Wednesday Worry Box.”  Whenever something caused him anxiety or annoyed his ulcer, Rank jotted the worry down on a piece of paper and dropped the problem in his box.  Then he forgot about it.  The next Wednesday, he pulled out all his worry notes and discovered an incredible truth.  Less than a third of his worries remained.  All the other items had resolved themselves!

Philosopher Michel de Montaigne once said, “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.”  A friend of mine says it in another way, “Worry is interest paid on a loan that you don’t owe.”  Worry causes health problems.  It causes family issues.  It robs us of our peace.  Why worry?

When I analyze my worries, I find they are often because I jump ahead and guess the outcome.  I build scenarios.  I worry about problems that may never come.  In short, I am not patient enough to give God the chance to work out my worries or to offer me a new perspective.

The Bible tells us that the God of the Universe is always working to turn bad things to good  (Romans 8:28).  It tells us that His plans are not to harm us but to give us hope (Jeremiah 29:11).  It tells us that with God’s help, we can overcome any problem (Philippians 4:13).  If we believe in these promises from God, then the question begs to be repeated:  Why worry?

Are you worried about something?  I invite you to start your own Worry Wednesday Box.  Perhaps you, too, will find that most of your worries are gone by the time Wednesday rolls around.  In the process, you may also discover that you can trust God.  You may discover your faith is growing.  Most importantly, you can begin to live for today rather than for a future that may or may not happen.  Let not your heart be troubled (John 14:1).  Be at peace, knowing that Jesus promises if we just seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, He will take care of us.

May God richly bless you today.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  (Matthew 6:25-34)

I Was There

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Several years ago, I heard a beautiful story about Helen Keller.  The great Christian singer Bill Mann had given an Easter concert.  When he returned to his dressing room, he found Helen Keller and her interpreter waiting for him.  Ms. Keller asked Mr. Mann to sing for her.  Because she was deaf, blind, and mute, she placed her fingertips gently on Mr. Mann’s lips and throat in order to “hear” him.  He sang Were You There When They Crucified my Lord.

At the end of the song, a tear trickled down Helen Keller’s cheek.  Through her interpreter, she told Mr. Mann, “I was there!”

Many of us are heartbroken that we will not be able to experience Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday services at our home church because of the social distancing measures in place during the covid-19 pandemic.  We will miss the music, the message, and sharing our experience with friends and loved ones during these beautiful church services.

It occurred to me that this social distancing experience may help us identify more closely with the interactions relayed in the story of Bill Mann and Helen Keller.  This remarkable woman lived her life with only two of her five senses.  Touch and smell were all that remained after scarlet fever robbed her of being able to see, hear, and speak.

Because of social distancing, we will not be able to use our senses of touch and smell this Holy Week.  Most of us will, however, be able to see our church services online.  We will be able to hear the music.  We will be able to sing along.  And after the celebration of our Risen Lord is over on Easter Sunday, I pray that each of us will be able to join Helen Keller and announce to the world, “I was there!”

May God comfort, bless, and keep each of you safe and healthy.  And may each of us remember the Glory and the story of the Cross of Jesus during this most Holy of Weeks.

” It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When He had said this, He breathed His last.”  (Luke 23:44-46)

 

I was unable to find a video of Bill Mann singing Were You There When They Crucified my Lord.  If you would like, however, you can link to Johnny Cash’s version here:  Were You There When They Crucified My Lord